Early Modern Europe: Introduction

Some time in the 15th or 16th century, depending on what part
of Europe and what aspect of society one is considering, the
medieval era came to an end. Some time in the 19th century, even
the late 18th century for England, the industrial age began.
What f alls in between truly deserves to be called a Middle Age,
for it lies between the medieval and the modern. We call it Early
Modern only because we don't like the old terms (Age of Absolutism,
Age of the Baroque) and we can't think of anything better.

Our course stops in the middle of the Early Modern era, technically
in 1648, though I do go past that a bit. So, what is a transitional
era anyway, difficult to characterize, is chopped in two by the
vagaries of the semester system. What I give here conce ntrates
on the the period 1500 to 1648.

The religious wars dominate everything. Even when conflicts
included other factors, as they nearly always did, religious
issues were at the forefront of the rhetoric. The Protestant
Reformation broke apart the facade of religious unity and it
took over a century for Europeans to wear themselves out over
the issue and to conclude at last that religious unity could
be achieved only at the local level.

In the course of the conflicts, Europeans came to define at
length what they believed about God and churches and their relationship
with the individual and the state. They produced a remarkable
body of art and literature concerned with these issues, and t
he political philosophy of Hobbes and Locke were formed with
religion as context and backdrop.

A second great theme of the period is economic change. Europe
entered onto a world market, fueled by a fantastic supply of
bullion from the New World, and the repercussions transformed
European economics forever. This period is sometimes called the
Age of Capitalism, and with good reason, for many of the bases
of modern capitalism were created here (e.g., joint stock companies
and stock markets). The economic changes forced radical change
upon governments and badly upset the social order.

Intellectual change is the final element I wish to stress.
The so-called Scientific Revolution is only the best known example
of that change, but similar transformations can be seen in philosophy,
education, and political theory. Not only were new ideas p roliferating,
they were being shared by more people than ever before, thanks
to the printing press, which served to increase the impact on
society in general.

And through all this, the governments and ruling elite of
Europe, the noble classes, sought fiercely and sometimes desperately
to control and contain the forces of change. It is in this light
that I view absolutism. Not, surely, that governments saw clear
ly and sought to block it, but rather that the ruling classes
felt the effects of change and sought to cope with them. The
nobles asserted their rights and powers loudly because they knew
for a certainty that their position was threatened.

It was an unsettled, trying era, but one in which much of
lasting value was created. Keep your eye on religion, the economy,
the arts, and government, and especially on the theme of change
in these areas.